Generally, when the size is to be changed in an automatic packaging machine, such as e.g. automatic machine for packaging articles into card-board boxes or the like, to which the present description will make explicit reference without losing its universality, some mechanical components or parts thereof must be absolutely substituted with others, whose dimensions allow to work with new articles to be packaged and/or with new boxes, while other components must be regulated/adjusted to the new positions, in order to suit to the new dimensions or shapes of the new articles and/or new boxes.
The above operations of substituting and/or adjusting of the mechanical components of the packaging machine are performed when the machine is off-work, and are usually quite complex, which results in the need of specialized staff.
Moreover, the substituting and/or adjusting operations must be performed in a sequence, which is well-determined in relation to different components to be substituted/adjusted, and usually is defined according to precise procedures contained in the packaging machine operation manual.
The operation manual also includes tables with identifying codes of new mechanical components which should replace the old ones, and which should be adjusted subsequently, so that they are easily found in the magazine.
The manual contains also tables with the values of new positions for each component which is only to be adjusted.
Therefore, during the size change over, the operator must only make constant reference to the sequence defined in the manual, and first of all, he/she must make constant reference to and remember the tables with the new identifying codes and the new positioning values.
In order to facilitate the size change over operations, in the current packaging machines the information related to the working sequence and to the tables of values contained in the manual, is stored in central control units (PLC or PC of the machine) of the packaging machines and thus it can be visualized on outer displays connected to the central units and fastened to the machine carrying structures.
The size change over procedures currently used require a lot of time, not only due to the complexity of the substitution and adjustment operations, but mainly because the operator must constantly consult the manual of the packaging machine, or anyway he/she must constantly make reference to the information visualized on the display of the machine central control unit.
Moreover, the above procedure in practice is not reliable, because adjustment errors of a mechanical component may occur if the operator forgets the exact new positioning value, or a component can be substituted with an incorrect one, if the operator erroneously interprets and memorizes the component identifying code written in the manual or visualized on the central control unit display.
Such errors result in an immediate stopping of the packaging machine, and in some serious cases, like for example in case of substitution of erroneous mechanical component, they can cause considerable damages to the machine.